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Alison Cernich, Ph.D., has been selected as deputy director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Dr. Cernich will assist the NICHD Director in overseeing the institute’s research programs in biological, behavioral and clinical research related to conception and pregnancy, typical and atypical development in childhood, reproductive health, and medical rehabilitation.

A board-certified neuropsychologist with expertise in cognitive neuroscience, Dr. Cernich previously served as the deputy director at the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury at the Department of Veterans Affairs. In that capacity, she was the senior liaison to the Department of Defense on psychological health and traumatic brain injury and provided oversight and supervision of the center’s research portfolio.

The memo also describes five ‘priority crosscutting actions’: highly skilled workforce, transformative research, leveraging the power of data, strategic multisector partnerships, and research environments that reflect American values – a common refrain from OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier.

Despite a stated commitment to ‘continuing American science and technology leadership in the Second Bold Era’ this memo does not recommend increasing the federal investment in scientific enterprise, rather, the administration has proposed significant budget cuts to federal agencies supporting science.